father…

The anguish of disappearance is not only for the missing loved one, but for the parents who died without justice.
Withana Kankanamala's Ariyadasa was more than just another father. He was the father of a son who meant more to him than his own life. Among the thousands of fathers who searched for justice for their abducted children, he stood out—a parent from Gampaha, Makilangamuwa, who left this world without ever receiving justice.
Ariyadasa’s son, Sumith Prasanna, was forcibly disappeared on November 17, 1989. Since then, Ariyadasa became a pillar of the Families of the Disappeared, relentlessly advocating not only for his son but for the justice owed to countless others. A humble farmer by livelihood, he was also a union activist who gave voice to the struggles of farmers.
He was 81 years old, and for 35 of those years, he carried the weight of Sumith’s disappearance, holding on to a painful yet unwavering hope for justice.
Dear Father,
Just like today,
you will be there tomorrow too,
within these hearts that fight on